Signature-handling apparatus



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ATTORNEY.

4 dling apparatus.

Patented Jan.. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT orifice.

MARTIN oHaIs'rENsEN, or ELMHURST, ILLINOIS, y-AssIefNoIt'ro THE CHRISTENS'EN MACHINE COMPANY, or RACINE, wIscoNsIN, A CORPORATION or wIscoNsIN.

vsIGNA'rURE-HANDLIN'e, APPARATUS.

Appncatin mea Ianuary 2, 192e. serial No. 78,'9so.

The invention relates to signature-han- In the making of pamphlets, magazines, and other bound forms of groups o signatures, hereinafter called books, it is sometimes desired to have the cover page overlap the main body or group ofl signatures of the book, and the object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for accomplishing this result, and lmore*particularly one which may be used with a saddle-stitch type of book-stitching machine. y y

The invention further consists in the sev-V eral features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.Y

In the drawings, 1 is aside elevation view of apparatus embodying the invention, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail plan View of the feed finger; Y

Fig. 4@ is a detail elevation view of the feed finger. l

The apparatus includes the main signature-conveying mechanism' and means or auxiliary conveyor mechanism for moving the body or main group of signatures faster b than the cover page so that the cover is caused to overlap the main group of signatures when these signatures and cover page are present-ed to the stitching mechanism.

The main signature-conveying mechanism may be of any suitable form. The form shown is that of my prior United States Patent No. 1,297,322, of March 18, 1919, wherein the conveyor is of the endlessjtype, including a plurality of saddle members 5 having depending spaced-apart anges 6 with links 7 pivotally secured Within 4said flanges and links 8 pivotally secured without said flanges and to said links 7 by pins 9. The upper run of the conveyor is shown as guided by a straight bar 10 disposed between the flanges 6 and over which the links 7 run, said bar being carried by the framework 11 of the machine. This conveyor runs over sprockets 12 at the upper and lower ends of the framework at both ends of this apparatus, one of the sprockets 12 being mounted on 'a frame 13 secured to the main frame by a bolt 14, the particular framework being shown in my prior United States Patent No. 1,140,734,011 May 25, 1915.

The conveyor may also take the form of my prior United States Patent No. 937,925, of October26, 1909, in which a stationary inverted V-shaped saddle has a longitudinallyextending slot therein through which pins carried by an endless chain project to move the signatures along the saddle. As shown,

ythe signature-engaging pins 15 are secured the main eonveyor during its forward feed-V ingstroke. This c'am 17, driven by a rotary shaft V18, engages a roller19 on a lever 20 pivoted at 21 to the frame and operatively connected by a link 22 with the Vbar 16, the roller 19be'ing held against the cam 17 by a tension spring 23 secured at 'one end to said lever and at the other end to the frame. The bar 16 isprovided with a plurality of spaced 'tapped holes 24, any one of which may receive a clamping-screw 25 which adjustably siecuresthe finger device 26 to said This'fin er device includes 'an angled base or sup or ing member 28 having a longitudinal y-extending slot 29 through which the screw 25 passes. A signature-engaging finger 30 is pivotally mounted on the top of the member 28 by a. pivot screw 31 and is normally urged outwardly Iby a` spring 32; is limited in its movement by a screw 3S on the member 28 working in a slot 34 insaid finger; has a straight face 35 for engaging the edges of a group of signatures, and a tapered or inclined face 36 to facilitate its, return movement past a -gr'oup of signatures.- The cam shaft 18 is-designed to revolve once during the time the main conveyor chain moves a distance equal to the space between the pins 15 on the conveyor, and this moves the finger device 26 at a faster rate than the conveyor, with the result that the main group of signatures engaged by the finger 30 are moved ahead of the cover page 31 superimposed upon them but not engaged by said finger so that when the signatures are delivered from this apparatus to the stitcher feed mechanism, one

edge, or both edges, of the cover page Will overlap the main body of the signatures forming the book.

To facilitate the action of the inger, a guardplate 37 is secured to the bar l() and keeps the depending portions of the signatures on that side of the machine inline ivitli the tace 35 ot' the linger 30, and to prevent interference with the cover page a bar 38, extending," lengthwiseV of the conveyor for about one-half the length thereof and supported by `trame members 39 Jrom the trame oli the machine, forms a rest for the depending portion of the cover page on the side adjacent the linger 30.

With this construction the main body of the book is placed directly on the saddle and the cover page is placed on this group ot' signatures and astride the bar 38 and then as the signatures thus assembled travel along the saddle they are operated upon as previously7 described to move relative to the cover page.

1 After the bar 16 has made its forward stroke it is returned for the finger 30ste displace the next group or' signatures relative to the cover page, and the Vinclined face 36 together with the spring 32 permits the iinger to move back under the advancing main group of signatures until it passes their rear edges and then moves into abutting engagement with said edges and advances them relative to the cover page, as previously described.

As the inger device 26 is adjustahly mounted on said bar 16, books of various sizes may be readily handled on the machine. I desire it to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to any particular form or arrangement oli parts except in so far as such limitations are expressed in Y,

the claims or necessitated by the prior' art.

, `What I claim as my invention is:

l. The combination, with the main signature-conveying mechanism, of auxiliary conveyor mechanism for advancing the signatures forming the inside of the book at a faster rate than the cover page during their movement with the main conveying mechanism to overlap said cover page relative to said inside signatures.

2. The combination, with the saddle conveyor mechanism of a saddle-stitch bookcating member and a finger mounted on said member and engagea-ble with' the signatures forming the inside of the book to advance them relative to the superimposed cover page to overlap said'co'ver page Vrelative to said inside signatures.

' fl. The combination, with the main signature-conveying mechanism, of an auxiliary signature-feed mechanism including a reciprocating inger engageable With the signatures liorming the inside of the book'to advance them relative to the superimposed cover page to overlap said cover page relaltive to said inside signatures, and means for holding said cover page away from said tinger. v

5. The combination, with the main signature-conveying mechanism, of an auxiliary signature-feed mechanism comprising a reciprocating member and a finger adjustably mounted on said member and engageable with the signatures forming the inside of the book to advance them relative to the superimposed cover page to overlap said cover page relative to said inside signatures.

6. Thecombination, with the main signature-conveying mechanism of a saddlestitch boolestitching machine, of an auxiL iary signature-feed mechanism comprising a reciprocating member and a spring-pressed finger adjustably mounted on said member and engageable with the signatures forming the inside ofthe book to advance them relative to the superimposed cover page so that it overlaps said inside signatures, a guard for said inside signatures adjacent said finger, and a support for spacing the depending portion of the cover out of the path of movement of said inger.

Iii-testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

MARTIN GHRISTENSEN. 

